Nate really wanted to get back on the road but now was wondering was he going to be allowed after what he had done. John walked out to greet the total of 6 officers. Nate stayed up at the house with Chris.
“So you still are going to head home to Texas?” Chris asked. He looked depressed as he asked. In Chris’s mind, he hoped that Nate would stay around and help protect. He had seen now firsthand the abilities of Nate.
“I need to Chris; my parents are much older and need me just as you need yours. I just hope what I have done here doesn’t prevent that” Nate said, his attention now on all the men walking his way.
“Nate, this is my Captain, Trevor Hanson. I told him everything that’s happened here. I told him how you helped Chris and the events back when you arrived at Crystal Lakes.” John said as The Captain reached his hand out to shake Nate’s.
“Nate, it's an honor. I can’t tell you how much we all appreciate your actions. We have been trying for weeks to find these guys. They have pillaged and stolen so much from the area. They are nearly responsible for more damage than the crash of the economy itself.” He said as each officer walked up and introduced them to Nate. One officer, in particular, stood out from the others. He was a tall man built much like Nate. He was a few years younger, but the look in his eyes told Nate he was military, especially the way he was looking Nate up and down.
The officer stood in front of Nate and spoke.
“You a Marine, or Army?” the large man asked hands on his hip like a drill sergeant. Nate knew now this younger man was former military.
“US Army, 75th reg,” Nate replied. The hands came off the hip, and he stood at attention and saluted Nate. Nate returned the salute. He turned to his fellow officers and spoke. Nate had over time had to adjust to these gung-ho types. It wasn’t an easy thing to do, but he needed to be polite, always.
“Gentlemen, Nate here is a US Ranger.” The officer turned to face Nate and rolled up his sleeve, to reveal on his right arm a Tattoo that said US Army Airborne Ranger 1st bat, 75th reg. It was identical to Nate’s on his other arm. Nate extended his hand to his fellow brother.
“Well, I haven’t seen one of those in about two or three weeks” Nate laughed shaking his hand. They both chatted briefly about their respective tours of duty finding on some overlap when he was coming in while Nate was leaving.
“I was going to ask how you managed to take out so many of these guys by yourself but I guess that just answered the question us all have.” the Captain stated. John led them all to the rear of the home, showing them all the carnage. He went on to detail everything and let Nate jump in to explain what he did. Nate stressed he didn’t see much of an opportunity to save the family without doing what he did. The Captain agreed that if he were in the same shoes, he would have done the same. He also stated that any SWAT team would have also done the same thing.
Nate reached down to show where John’s wife was and then pointed to the wood line where he was to make the shot. The Ranger State police officer then noticed Nate’s other Tattoo.
“You were with the Night Wolves?” he said looking at the tattoo. The Captain looked at his younger officer questioning Nate.
“Yes,” Silence fell for a second. The officer turned to the other men.
“The Night Wolves are the unique part of the Rangers. They had a reputation to go in even some places the SEALS wouldn’t go.” He explained pretty accurately Nate thought to himself.
Nate didn’t say much. He was a modest man who did what he had too. John could sense that Nate was a little uncomfortable now.
“Well, I think we had better get these bodies up and out of here before critters start to show up,” John said.
The Captain brought many body bags and papers to I.D. them and filed it away. Not much he could do any more than old school methods. These bikers would find their last resting place buried like many others that were dying daily from many causes.
Nate helped remove and load the bodies to the large flatbed truck once used to haul away cars from the scenes of major accidents.
“Nate, of course, if this had occurred in normal times you know there would be a ton of bullshit paperwork, TV reporters, all the associated BS that goes along with someone doing a good deed for society. However, these aren’t normal times. I have your statement and John’s. That’s good enough for me.” He said reaching out to shake Nate’s hand.
Nate watched as two officers removed the two from the storage shed nearly dragging them out by the heels of their boots. They cussed and screamed all the way to the unit at the bottom of the hill.
“John, get some rest. Try to get to the station if possible in a few days. I will touch base with you on the Ham if we still have power.” the Captain instructed as he and his men started to leave. The Officer Ranger said his goodbye’s to Nate still talking about their service.
In ten minutes everyone was gone. John and Nate stood watching the small convoy, pull off with the dead bodies loaded in the back in body bags.
“Well Nate, you are our guest for as long as you need. Let’s go in and see what we can come up with for food.” John said. Nate didn’t say no. As they walked in John explained that his wife was doing well now, she was a strong woman, had to be strong to live in the mountains. His daughter Kim was still shaken up by the ordeal, but she was unhurt. Her emotional scars would take time, though.
Chapter 12
One Day at a Time
The fortunes of many often depended on factors some would consider luck. Others contributed their success to skill and drove; determination to see a goal through would often bring about luck. Nate knew karma existed; he was lucky at times when his skills couldn’t save him. Lately, his skills helped many people and they, in turn, helped him. That’s how it was in life. This latest event Nate found himself in was no different. He took the chance to see if Chris made it home and discovered some bad people doing what they do best. Nate took care of the problem that wasn’t his, to begin with, but that’s not how Nate viewed life. He knew God gave him useful insights along with other gifts. One gift was the ability to think clearly with reason, putting others before his needs. He chose to check in on Chris because he knew he should. Yes, it put him out of the way of his trip, but the result was one he could live with now. More importantly, others could now live without fear of torment and murder.
John Thomas was busy out in his shop. His wife was busy making breakfast. The stove was propane and for they still had plenty of fuel. Nate was fast asleep in the guest room. Chris was busy helping his father out in the shed. Kim was now sitting out at the kitchen table starting to act as though she was better emotionally. She was writing something and would occasionally stop to ponder a thought then return to her paper. Rachael was making pancakes and little sausages. They were trying hard to use the items that would expire before others. In many ways they were preppers. They had a backup diesel generator and a lot of fuel. They also had a solar array on top the home. Their water was well water. They had a two-acre garden and even a small fishing pond out past where Nate was hiding in the woods. John spent years putting it all together with the help of everyone in the family. They conserved their power as much as possible. During the days they only used the skylights, and at nights used LED lanterns. They did have electricity with the generator but chose to conserve it as long as possible. In addition to everything, they had a great room fireplace and another at the other end of the home. Chris had earned much of his money and allowance chopping firewood. John often referred to him to Chris as ‘Lincoln’ because of how good he became at chopping the wood and splitting. Chris wasn’t a big built kid, but he was tall and lanky like Lincoln.
The skylight above Nick’s bed was square with a doom type Plexiglas insert. The sky was a dark blue with a few white wispy clouds coming in and out of view. Nate couldn’t hear anything from the house. He sat on a bed in an attached spare room. The Thomas’s insisted on Nate staying the night. He and John had a long conversation before retir
ing to bed about the state of things. Nate received the latest details on exactly what was going on around the nation and the world according to Governmental reports given to local authorities using Ham radio operators.
Things were getting worse in Washington. All abandoned D.C. in a massive exodus. The Presidents whereabouts were an unknown to the Nation. The rumors were that he fled to Canada while another said he was in the Bahamas, one of the few locations unaffected by the world economic depression.
Nearly every major city was in ruins due to rioting and looting, and basic forms of communications were all down and nonexistent. People, in general, were not working nor could they, because of the failure of all banking systems and the US Dollar. Nate recalled how many in the financial realms always said this could never happen. At the same time, others deemed as conspiracy theorists stated it was just a matter of time. It seemed they were correct.
The basic foundations of society had come to a halt. It was very hard to enforce laws on a society that was hungry and not used to having no access to electricity. The National Guard was called out, but most of them disbanded to return to their homes to help secure their local communities, leaving the vast number of the major cities to burn. It didn’t take much for those who were always dependent on Government handouts to quickly lose their patience and destroy everything while taking from others. The new jobs for many were stealing, burning, and murdering the helpless. Nate sat up on the bed realizing he had survived another day in a new world. It was time to prepare for the next day.
The small attached bedroom had a bathroom. It had a shower/tub combo, and Nate wished he could soak in the tub. However, he didn’t want to use up any more resources than normal. He opted for the quick shower which still felt great. He dug in his bag for the toothbrush and paste. It was important in times like this to keep hygiene up. He finished getting dressed and placed all of his gear back in his pack. John had his two long guns telling him he would clean and lubricate them for him in the morning. Nate trusted John; he was a good wholesome person. Nate had shared with John the events in Laramie and how the sheriff there had made him a deputy. Nate even produced John the official document with a seal to prove the status of his newly acquired position. Nate admitted he didn’t know exactly why such an honor was given to him but believed the sheriff thought it would help him in certain scenarios.
John had looked over the document and flat out said: “You are a Sheriff’s deputy, as much as I am a State Police officer.” Nate appreciated the compliment.
“I have met the Sheriff of Laramie Nate. He is a good man. I assure you he wouldn’t have done this without good reason. Perhaps he thought when you got home your community would need you, maybe to function as an officer. This will help do just that if you are so inclined.” John explained. Nate had not thought much about what he was going to do when he did finally get home. Most of the time, Nate just focused on getting back, surviving, eating, finding fresh water, or transportation. It would have to be something to think about when he returned.
Nate headed down the hall that connected to the house. He carried his pack careful not to disturb the many pictures of John’s family that hung on the walls. When he reached the great room, it was awash in sunlight from the numerous skylights. No need for interior lighting today, Nate thought. Then he saw Kim sitting on a sofa reading a book. A moment passed before Rachael came around the corner from the kitchen bar area and saw Nate.
“Good morning Nate,” she said with a bright smile that added to the warmth of the room. Kim looked up at Nate and gave a slight smile.
“Breakfast is nearly complete. If you want to have a seat, I will tell John and Chris you are up. I hope you slept well?” She asked.
“The bed felt great, thank you ma’am” he replied. She laughed.
“Please just call me Rachael, ma’am sounds old. I’m younger than you.” She said laughing, which made Nate laugh. She seemed to be over her experience, but then again she was the wife of a cop. The daily never knowing if your husband was going to come home was a lot of stress. That was one reason why Nate never became serious with a woman while in the Military. He had seen it become a distraction to a mission, and distractions could get you killed. Others Nate knew for years had large families, and it never seemed to bother them. He always suspected it was their driving reason to get home.
Nate sat down in the recliner, not far from Kim, while Rachael went to get John. Nate tried not to notice, but Kim was staring a hole through him. Nate looked over, and she bowed her head back to her book.
“How are you today Kim?” Nate said breaking the ice. Kim looked stunned, Nate guessed she didn’t expect for him to talk to her.
“I’m feeling good today sir” she replied slowly. Nate could not imagine at her age what it must have been like to watch the bad guys do what they did and have a gun to her head. She was a strong kid, but she didn’t know it yet.
“Well Kim, that’s good. I don’t know anyone that has shown more courage than you did yesterday. I mean the way you stood in the face of danger was remarkable. I know your parents are both proud of you. You can be on my team any day.” he told her.
Kim father told her about Nate’s and how he was in Special Forces in the military. John explained that Nate part of special teams that took out bad people. Nate hoped by telling Kim that she could be on his team anytime would help her get through the emotions of the evil she suffered in some way.
“Wow,” she replied.
Nate could hear the door open up and some conversation as John, Chris, and Rachael all came back inside. John walked over to Nate.
“Hope you slept well, Nate,” he said extending his hand. Nate stood to shake it.
“Yes, very well. Thank you guys so much. Getting good rest was nice.” Nate replied as Chris came over.
“We got both of your rifles all cleaned up. Man, I bet that lever action can kick” Chris said. Nate saw both rifles by the front door.
“It’s not too bad, but it can take down anything in the lower 48 and Alaska,” Nate said with a slight grin.
“Well, how about some good food?” John asked, leading them all to the large eating table. The table was made from nearby Douglas Firs. It was a beautiful handmade farm style table with matching chairs. Nate’s parents had something very much like this table.
The table was full of food, fresh scrambled eggs, and a big bowl of gravy, sausages, bacon and biscuits. Rachael walked around pouring orange juice into everyone’s glass. This was going to be an excellent meal, giving Nate a lot of energy for another long day.
“Nate, after we eat we can go outside and go over your bike if you’d like to make certain its road worthy?” John asked looking over at Chris as he made a comment. Chris just smiled. Nate didn’t notice.
“That sounds great, I do appreciate yawls hospitality,” Nate said.
“I just love how you people from Texas speak, so polite but southern, and please take that as a compliment,” Rachael said with a smile.
“Oh I do, no offense taken, Ma’am,” he said with a smile and a wink.
“John, I told him not to call me ma’am,” she said still laughing.
“Yes ma’am, well he is only being polite” John replied to her. Her fork dropped as she stared at her husband. John busted out laughing along with everyone else, including Nate.
Chapter 13
A Ranger in the woods
The breakfast was everything Nate thought it would be. He hadn’t eaten that good since Laramie, but this was even better. He couldn’t tell what it was that was so different, then he remembered they were preppers. The Thomas’s mostly used provisions from their small farm and now Nate wondered if they also had chickens. The eggs tasted fresh, unlike store bought, which was not happening now.
John and Chris escorted Nate out to his bike in the shop. The shop was off in the woods a bit. One had to take a gravel pathway to get to it. It was a large steel roofed barn, one of the modern steel constructions seen in magazines
that seemed too cheap to be true. They all walked in through the side door and into the well-lit work space. Inside were numerous power tools, gas cans, a few small portable generators, and toolboxes on rolling carts, and large hanging LED style light Nate hadn’t seen before. A slight hum could be heard coming from behind the barn.
“What’s that sound, John?” Nate asked. John looked behind himself towards the sound.
“It’s one of our diesel generators that I turned on while we are out here,” John replied. Nate nodded his head as he looked around the maybe 30x60 barn. It even had a second-floor loft area. Then Nate spotted his bike, it looked like it had been cleaned up then noticed some part lying off to the side.
“Nate, we started working on the old bike and noticed the fuel line looked pretty bad. We had the ability to fix that and did so, but then we noticed there is a crack in the fuel pump. It sounds like a new crack, so maybe that’s why you hadn’t noticed anything yet. Our roads around here are pretty hairy at times so I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s when it happened.” John said. Nate walked over to the little dirt bike. He was just starting to like the little thing and couldn’t hide his disappointment.
“Well, I guess I will be on foot from here,” Nate said stroking the seat that caused him a lot of rear end trouble but would take it again if it meant not walking.
John walked over to where Nate stood and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry Nate, we tried. Also, I’m sorry, but we can’t let you just walk all the way home either.” John said as he pointed to the corner of the shop. In the corner sat a newer looking Polaris Ranger. It was one of the crossover style utility vehicles. Four by four capability and lots of storage ability. He could even stretch his long frame out in the two seats and nap if he wanted. Nate was stunned. He lived and worked on a ranch and didn’t have one of these.
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